Music Monday - The Warning "Hell You Call a Dream"

Always love women rockers.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #30

Right now I am: I am deciding what to make for brunch. I’m thinking either cranberry orange pound cake or pecan pie pound cake for today.

Thinking and pondering: What else should we do before leaving for Indiana. I have a list of possibilities, but I need to get the next car repair estimate in before making some decisions.

On my bedside table: I have a stack of holiday romances from the library. And I have a few romances to potentially use for Dirty Book Month in February.

On my tv this week: J and I started The Essex Serpent finally. It’s been on my list for awhile now. I wanted to watch it before traveling to Indiana.

Listening to: I put on the Christmas music mix this week. It’s not on all the time, but I’m mixing it in here and there.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Chili

• Tuesday - Garlic Shrimp Pasta

• Wednesday - Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli

• Thursday - Sloppy Joes

• Friday - Chickpea Stew

• Saturday - Snack Dinner

• Sunday - Chicken Tikka Masala

On my to do list: I have a ton of little things and errands to run this week. Plus we need to start packing for Christmas. And I want to look up some classes for spring for Arthur. And I need to wrap the presents.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Another car repair estimate; Reindeer at Mulhalls

• Tuesday - Dentist appointment; Book Club

• Wednesday - Homeschool in the Hills

• Thursday - Academic Co-op (Last week!)

• Friday - The Nutcracker Ballet @ The Orpheum

• Saturday - Academic Co-op Working Meeting; Book Club Book and Bottle Exchange

• Sunday - Home Day (Packing time!)

What I am creating: I have piles of homeschooling in the office waiting to be decided upon. I want to get some of it organized before leaving for Indiana.

My simple pleasures: Peppermint chocolate covered marshmallows from Aldi’s are amazing. They are my new obsession.

Looking around the house: We did a big clean and pick up before book club yesterday and things are looking pretty decent. I do want to get some other things put away and cleaned up before we leave. I enjoy coming home to a nice and tidy house after traveling.

From the camera: Fun new addition to the Rock n Lights

The Best Cowboy Christmas Ever by June Faver

Title: The Best Cowboy Christmas Ever (Garrett Family Saga #1)

Author: June Faver

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 2020

Genre: Romance

Pages: 352

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads; She Reads Romance - Cowboy Who Loves His Hat

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 4

When handsome town sheriff Derrick Shelton meets Angelique Guillory and her young daughter at the Garrett ranch, he is immediately drawn to the woman who seems to desperately need a true family Christmas. Determined to erase the shadows from her eyes, he decides to give her the best holiday she's ever had.

Angelique Guillory is a woman with a past, haunted by violence and searching for the family she never knew. When she and her little daughter find their way to the Garrett family and meet Derrick, she hopes to have finally found a safe haven.

But Angelique is still looking over her shoulder. Despite her doubts, with a little Christmas magic and the warmth of the Garretts, Angelique may find more love and acceptance than she ever thought possible.

Ooof! What casual misogyny hell is this? But before we get that, my first complaint is that this is apparently the first of a series but also this series is a continuation of a series already published. There is very odd references to the backstories of all the other couples in the story. Even if I had read the previous series, I still think that I would have been annoyed by the constant weird references. And then we get the super weird repetitious scenes of Alphonse back in New Orleans. Instead of increasing the suspense, I was just like “please come to Texas already and attempt to take Gabrielle.” Really the tension just didn’t increase, it pulled me out of the story every time it happened. And finally we get to the casual misogny. I enjoy strong male characters, but these took the “protector” identity to a new disturbing level. The worst part was one one of the wives wants to have a baby and the husband responds that as soon as she can quit her job, they can have a baby. Ugh. I just could not deal with any of it.

Next up on the TBR pile:

All I Want is You by Falon Ballard

Title: All I Want is You

Author: Falon Ballard

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2024

Genre: Holiday Romance

Pages: 256

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads RC

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Meter: 5

Exes. Professional rivals. Just one bed. What could go wrong?

All Jessica has ever wanted is her own happily ever after. But until that happens, she spends her days as a small-time romance writer, penning satisfying Happily Ever Afters to soothe the heartache left by her ex-boyfriend Nick—also a romance writer and now her biggest rival—who has found success writing love stories without happy endings. It’s what he’s good at, after all . . .

So when their professional obligations bring them to a remote inn a few days before Christmas, they’re a little more than peeved, especially when they get trapped sharing a room in a snowstorm. But what’s more fitting for two romantic writers in a slump? Realizing the friction between them might be the only cure for their writer’s block, they decide to turn their frustration into fiction . . . and the pages start flying. But will Jess’s heart soar, too? Nick is the last guy on earth she should love . . . but what if he is really all she wants for Christmas?

This one started out well and then we get to the end and I really dislike it. My main issue with this story is that, even at the end, Nick still blames Jess for part of their breakup. His entire defense that emotions are hard and that he was doing it for her was bullshit. I was still so mad at him at the end of the book. Just because she had some doubts that he overheard, he expects her to take part of the blame when he just straight up walked out. Um no. She wasn’t even given a chance to talk about any of those issues. I really really dislike the “I’m doing this for you” trope in romance. Blergh. Let the characters make their own decisions please. This book is probably fine for other readers, but did not work for me. Thankfully it was a quick read.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen

Title: The Kingdom of Sweets

Author: Erika Johansen

Publisher: Dutton 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 354

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; Fairytale Retellings; Spooky Season - J

Where I Got It: Unread Shelf

Twin sisters, divided by envy and magic, set against one another on a fateful Christmas Eve

Light and dark—this is the cursed birthright placed upon Clara and Natasha by their godfather, Drosselmeyer, whose power and greed hold an entire city in his sway. Charming Clara, the favorite, grows into a life of beauty and ease, while ignored and unloved Natasha is relegated to her sister’s shadow.
 
But the opportunity for revenge announces itself one Christmas Eve, when Drosselmeyer arrives at their family gala with the Nutcracker, an enchanted gift that offers entry into an alternate world: the Kingdom of Sweets.
 
Following Clara into the glittering land of snow and sugar, Natasha discovers a source of power far greater than Drosselmeyer: the Sugar Plum Fairy, who offers her own wondrous gifts . . . and deadly bargains. But as Natasha unspools the truth about a dark destiny crafted long before her birth, she must reckon with forces both earthly and magical, human and diabolical, and decide to which world she truly belongs.

A bit of a mess of a book. I was very intrigued by the Nutcracker retelling and loved the first act. We set the stage and add in a mystery twin to Clara. Act 2 was even a lot of fun twisting around the idea of the Kingdom of Sweets. But then the book started to lose me. Clara and Natasha are both terrible. Their entire families are terrible. Conrad is a wet blanket. Why should I care about any of these people? The person I cared the most about was Anastasia the cook. She at least seemed like a real person. The rest were caricatures; all black and white without the gray that real people have. I was ready for the Sugar Plum Fairy to take them all. Overall, the book really lost me after the second section and the ending was downright confusing.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay

Title: The Holiday Honeymoon Switch

Author: Julia McKay

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 4 (couple of explicit scenes, but short and easy to skip)

Holly Beech and Ivy Casey are bury-the-body besties. They’re so in sync, they even look alike. When Holly’s fiancé jilts her, leaving her in shock and with a nonrefundable honeymoon, Holly convinces Ivy to switch places. Ivy will go on the Hawaiian honeymoon her best friend can’t bear to take alone, while Holly escapes to Ivy’s rented Hudson Valley cabin to binge-watch holiday movies and heal.
But Holly’s wallowing is interrupted when her rugged Airbnb host turns out to be her high school academic rival who’s had a major glow-up. Meanwhile, Ivy’s (now Hawaiian) annual solo art retreat is upended when Holly’s ex-fiancé checks into the honeymoon suite—with a new woman. Raging and bed-less, the last thing Ivy expects is for the hot hotel bartender to come to her rescue. Against all odds, this Christmas might prove the most magical yet.

Decent little holiday themed romance to kick off my month. I wanted something fairly easy and breezy and that’s exactly what I got. Holly and Ivy are those super annoying best friends who are complete ride or die for each other. Thankfully, we don’t have to suffer through too many scenes of them together. Mostly we get to see how each friends deals with their issues across the country from each other. I loved Ivy’s of facing her fears and finally pursuing her dreams all while getting to know the hot bartender. I felt like Ivy was the story that exhibited all the character growth and change. Meanwhile, Holly is just there and coincidentally finds her person that also happens to have been the one person from high school. Pretty cliched! Thankfully Aiden helps overcome the super cheese to round out the story. Nothing too life-changing, but a fun holiday romance.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Fame on Fire "Nightmare"

The local radio station keeps playing this song. I finally really paid attention.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Bucket List

Another year, another Christmas bucket list! This season I’m still embracing the mantra of “Take it easy.” As such, I’m filling our bucket list with all my favorite things and not reaching too far.

1. Go see Santa!

2. Decorate the mini tree

3. Decorate the house

4. See the Christmas tree at the Durham Museum

5. Visit the Holiday display at Lauritzen Gardens

6. See A Christmas Story @ The Rose

7. See The Nutcracker @ The Orpheum

8. Listen to A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

9. Make Christmas cookies

10. Drive through the Santa Rock n Lights

11. Visit the reindeers Dancer and Dasher

12. Watch 10 Christmas Movies

13. Go to Zoolightful at the zoo

14. Go to Fantasy of Lights at Franke Park

15. Dinner at Coney Island and see the Santa lights

16. Read 10 Christmas books

17. Make paper snowflakes

18. Make Christmas cocktails

19. Hot Chocolate tasting

20. Finish a Christmas puzzle

21. Find a new Christmas album

22. Make a Christmas craft

23. Decorate a gingerbread house

24. Take a photo of all four boys together

25. Finish 2024’s December Daily album

Next up on the TBR pile:

December 2024 Life Goals

Let’s check in on November’s goals and my progress.

• Read 18 Books - Just made it! ✓

• Take It Easy ✓

December Goals:

• Read 18 Books

• Complete Our Christmas Bucket List

• Layout Our 2025 Calendar

• Plan Our February Great Wolf Lodge Trip

• Start Planning the Retreat

Next up o the TBR pile: